Born in Quincy, Massachusetts in 1946, Skoglund studied studio art and art history at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts from 1964-1968. Moving to New York City in 1972, she started working as a conceptual artist, dealing with repetitive, process-oriented art production through the techniques of mark-making and photocopying. In 1978, she produced a series of repetitious food item still life images.

Skoglund was an art professor at the University of Hartford between 1973-1976. She is currently teaching photography and art installation/multimedia at Rutgers University in New Jersey.